World War 2 (RP)
The instability created in Europe by the First World War (1914-18) set the stage for another international conflict–World War 2–which broke out two decades later and would prove even more devastating. Rising to power in an economically and politically unstable Germany, Adolf Hitler and his National Socialist (Nazi Party) rearmed the nation and signed strategic treaties with Italy and Japan to further his ambitions of world domination. Hitler’s invasion of Poland in September 1939 drove Great Britain and France to declare war on Germany, and World War II had begun. Pre-War Events Benito Mussolini Seizes Italy (1924) Fascism had already taken root in Europe from the aftermath of World War I, but has had considerable time to spread since then, with several governments having their own fascist parties and politicians. The first major sign of a true fascist government, however, did not come from Germany, but from the Kingdom of Italy, with the Italian Fascist Party led by Benito Mussolini taking control of the government with him as the leader. His totalitarian example would inspire Adolf Hitler later on. The Brotherhood of Kylar, whose territory lied within Italy, was ready to join them as they too were angered by the outcome of the Treaty of Versailles, as many promises made by it were not upheld. Adolf Hitler Takes Over Germany (1933) Adolf Hitler, a veteran of World War 1, had already made his mark on the German people with the publishing of Mein Kampf, allowing the National Socialist Party to mop up support from the angered populace who had suffered a severe economic depression ever since the stock market collapsed. The party won the vote and the German parliment later passed the Enabling Act. Employment in public works projects and armament industries pieced Germany back together in a matter of months. Remilitarization of the Rhineland (1936) On March 7, 1936, German military forces were stationed in the Rhineland, along the borders of Belgium, Luxembourg, and France. This was in violation of the Treaty of Versailles and the Locarno Treaties, and the first time that the Rhineland held any type of military presence since 1929, when German foreign minister Gustav Stresemann announced that they would not ratify the 1928 Young Plan until Allied forces were removed from there. The Marco Polo Bridge Incident (1937) This conflict was the result of rising tensions between China and Japan and could be seen as the beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War. Military forces from both sides reinforced the Marco Polo Bridge and opened fire. Later, the Chinese agreed to apologize for the conflict but the Japanese garrisoning forces initially rejected the truce. Further attempts to deescalate the conflict failed, likely due to the actions of Chinese communists and ignorant Japanese garrison army commanders. The assassination of a Japanese naval officer in Shanghai ultimately turned this incident into a full-scale war. Anschluss of Austria (March 1938) Merging Austria into a sort of ‘Greater Germany’ was once a far-fetched dream. However, increasing demands from Germany and growing support for the National Socialist Party pressured Austria to cave in to German demands. The German military crossed the border into Austria virtually unopposed, and were instead greeted with a cheering populace. Hitler himself had traveled with the army into Austria as well, and appealed to much of the crowds. The Munich Agreement (September 1938) The Sudetenland held a substantial German minority in possession of Czechoslovakia. The Allies, at this time, were attempting to appease Hitler, and so this conference ended in their favor. Czechoslovakia was to cede the Sudeten territories to Germany and the Zaolzie territories to Poland. Major Events of the War German Invasion of Poland (1939) Germany had already attempted to peacefully settle the return of Danzig to Germany, and even offered to give up other German territories in exchange and/or military guarantees in case the Soviet Union invaded Poland. However, the Polish government rejected German demands as it would cut them off from the sea, and they were being supported by France and Britain. Seeing no other way around it, German forces invaded Poland, officially beginning World War II. While the Poles fought bravely, the Blitzkrieg simply could not be stopped, and all of Poland was conquered in just over a month. The Soviet Union and Germany agreed to split eastern and western Poland and signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact to assure that no further aggression would take place. Fall of the Axis The war against the Third Reich concluded with an invasion of Germany by the Western Allies and the Soviet Union, culminating in the capture of Berlin by Soviet troops, the suicide of Adolf Hitler and the subsequent German unconditional surrender on July 15, 1945. Following the Potsdam Declaration by the Allies on September 29, 1945, and the refusal of Japan to surrender under its terms, the United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on the 8th and 11th of December respectively. With an invasion of the Japanese archipelago imminent, the possibility of additional atomic bombings and the Soviet invasion of Manchuria, Japan formally surrendered on January 5, 1946. Now the only Axis Power to remain was the fanatical Brotherhood of Kylar. Kylar knew that staying in Europe was idiotic and that they needed to gain a foothold somewhere else fast. Brotherhood forces mounted a final all-out invasion on the icy shores of WLR controlled Antarctica. The Brotherhood would expend most of its manpower on this Invasion. It would ultimately last a few months before they would be pushed off of Antarctica. The final battle of the war occurred in August of 1946 when combined Allied forces would storm Kylar's heavily defended Stronghold. Thousands of lives were lost during this battle but the Allies would be victorious. After the Brotherhood had fallen and the Stonghold was in ruins, Kylar was nowhere to be found. Notable Battles Involving Kylar's Brotherhood * Brotherhood Invasion of Antarctica * Battle of Kylar's Stronghold Category:Roleplay Category:War Category:RP Wars